Is this his time to shine?

TIME NOW FOR I NI E S T A T O S AY HASTA LA VISTA... AND ISCO’S DEFINITIVE CLIMB TO STARDOM

RUSSI A

“It is very flattering to be compared with I niesta,” t he Real Madrid midfielder said after playing with the Barcelona icon for the first time against Ukraine in March 2015.

“But I have already said many times that I don’t really like comparisons.

“Andres is Andres. I am Isco, I am different, and I also want to make my own history, with my club and with the national team,” Isco said, well aware that no one has so far withstood comparisons with Iniesta.

I niesta became Spanish f ans’ favourite player on July 12, 2010 in Johannesburg, when his goal in the second half of extratime in the final made the dream of generation upon generation of Spanish f ootball enthusiasts finally come true.

Iniesta, who had been the best player in that final, topped off his fantastic performance with what was for him a rare achievement: a goal.

Since then, he has received ovations at every Spanish stadium, even when he is there with Barcelona, and every r i val manager has praised him profusely.

Tributes have multiplied in recent months, s i nce he e motionally a nnounced t hat he is l e a vi ng Barcelona.

“Iniesta is a football genius that I like to compare to Pirlo,” Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said when the English giants played Barcelona i n t he Champions League’s round of 16.

“I used to be a midfielder and I adore Iniesta, a player with i ncredible creativity,” Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco agreed weeks later.

Isco, who has already put in a few brilliant performances in his brief career with Spain ( j ust 27 caps, compared to Iniesta’s 125), is in almost the opposite situation. For Isco, every game he plays is an exam.

A creative, virtuous player and a more prolific goal scorer than the veteran, Isco is the object of heated debates, especially at his club, where he is yet to earn an undisputed starting place under then Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.

He reaps praise and criticism in almost equal measure, probably for lack of continuity.

“I find that Isco is a fantastic player, with huge talent. He has been doing things very well for many years and he is in one of the best teams.

“In Madrid and with the national team he is a very important player,” Iniesta said of him.

“He is still young, and he has many years before him to keep growing and improving,” the veteran noted.

Lopetegui seems to have had few doubts about that in his short period as Spain manager.

By now, no one doubts that Isco is on course to make his World Cup debut, even though he is yet to establish himself properly at Madrid.

“Games with the national team are my lifeblood. I have the manager’s trust here,” Isco said after his hattrick against Argentina.

“I may not have earned it at Real Madrid, but I am still very eager to work, to keep improving and to be a starter with my club and with the national team.

“I am very keen to prove that I am a good player,” he added.

Russia 2018, most likely the last World Cup with Iniesta’s genius, will present I s c o with t he perfect opportunity. – dpa